NYTimes: ‘Hollywood Stampedes a Texas Town’

NYTimes: 'Hollywood Stampedes a Texas Town'

The West Texas town of Marfa is widely considered (both in and out of the state) a dream destination. I’ve never been, but am anxious for a long-overdue trip out there. Recently, it’s a place that has bustled extra hard, with new films by the Coen Brothers and Paul Thomas Anderson in production. Whitney Joiner follows the impact of the productions on Marfa, for The New York Times:

While the landscape was the main draw for both productions, the town of Marfa was a factor too. An eccentric, fiercely independent place that’s become a haven for artists and art tourists, Marfa has seen an upsurge in galleries, boutique hotels and print coverage in the last 10 years. The Coens became enamored with Marfa, “as a lot of people are,” Mr. Graf said. “There are a lot of really interesting and fun people in Marfa.”

Apart from a handful of scenes that used locals’ cars as background vehicles, Mr. Love was the only Marfan to appear in the Coens’ film. But Mr. Anderson’s film, which shot for more than two months, employed around 350 locals, whether as one-day extras or permanent assistants. His production rented 32 houses in town and booked 400 hotel rooms, spread out through Marfa and its neighboring towns of Alpine and Fort Davis.